How to Grab an Investors Attention!

A common theme among entrepreneurs and startups is how to separate yourself in a competitive market and grab the attention of investors. Tonight thanks to sponsors TriNet, Vaco,WeWork, and TechCXO, a great event was afforded for the local startup community and fellow entrepreneurs to participate in a panel discussion and hear from leading local investors like Tim McLoughlin at Cofounders Capital and Jackie Bennett at SJF Ventures. Some of the key wisdom points shared was how to separate yourself from the hundreds of emails and pitch decks they see. In addition, we got to hear from local entrepreneur Ursula Mead, founder of InHerSight, and how she navigated her path to investment. Plus Nick Jordan, Founder and CEO at Smashing Boxes, sharing his advice to entrepreneurs. Whether its your first raise, second or third, enclosed are some tips on how to attract attention from a potential investor and increase your chances for success.

• Networking is key! Go to events and meet the angels and fund managers attention. Put a face to a name and meet in person. 
• Best advice for fund raising is first make some sales! Hustle and prove your worth!  Start with customers. Sell something to somebody to show your building a real business with real need!
• Try to bootstrap as long as you can so you can have more control and have more leverage. 
• As a first time entrepreneur raising money is hard. It can be a full time job. So be prepared for hard work and long haul. Once you have some proven exits and leading as CEO raising money gets a little easier.
• Sales counts for a lot. The bias is towards sales orientated CEOs and demonstrating you know how to sell. Go To Market people are important and showing you have a solid strategy plan with solid go to market details is important to peaking interest from investors. 
• Showing CEO experience and having a solid team that knows how to build business with unique idea in a big market is a winning combo! Show these value points when talking to investors.
• Software BtB is where most investments are going towards right now and the hot spot. Know the investors thesis per what they like to invest in so you find the right fit.
• Remember it's a numbers game. It's a sales process. You need to manage the sales funnel and a lot of work!
• When you ask for money sometimes it does not match the investor thesis so don't take it personal. Sometimes it takes a dozen meetings and then follow-ups with same investors. It can take months and months! You will hear no so be prepared for it and move on!
• Persistence and perseverance is the key! Even when you have your wins, keep the mindset of slow and steady wins the race. Keep at it!
• Use things that go wrong to motivate you and help push you to make it right or better. Use your lows to push you forward to keep going bigger, better, and stronger.
• Look to team up with investors that have expertise in your space so they can help you through your challenges. Good investors have seen it before and can help you ride out the highs and get through the lows properly.
• Take time to celebrate the moments that go well. Cheers to your wins so you can keep motivation high!
• Bad news does not get better with age so talk through things in real-time and avoid all surprises.
• Remember their will be highs and lows. Be ready to shake off the lows and be smart in riding out the highs. Keep the work life balance going so you can keep healthy balance to get through all smoothly.
• If a product is good and solves a real problem and demonstrates demand for the solution then money will more easily flow towards investing in that business. First things first is have that good product or service that demonstrates this real value!

• Key quote: "If you want money, ask for advice. If you want advice, cask for money."
• Remember, it's all about selling something to somebody. Showing attraction and interest is key!
• You are always fundraising! Always be ready to make the pitch
• Having at least an MVP (Minimum Viable Product)shipping helps you attract investors because it helps you show what you are offering is real and that there are customers and demand! It helps you get more leverage and higher valuation too! So get something out there, test it out, get feedback from customers, and show your produce is valued. The best recommendation to investors is a recommendation from an existing customer that says your product is great!

​A special thanks to Bridget Harrington, Executive Director with Innovate Raleigh, for moderating the panel discussion and the sponsors TriNet, Vaco, WeWork, and TechCXO!

• Key quote: "If you want money, ask for advice. If you want advice, cask for money."
• Remember, it's all about selling something to somebody. Showing attraction and interest is key!
• You are always fundraising! Always be ready to make the pitch